The Dispatch
To know and do God’s will: A short Ignatian primer
Because we are rational human beings, it is best for us not only to do God’s will, but also first to know God’s will and […]
Articles by Fr. Charles Fox
The Dispatch
The power of Christ and the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter
On April 19, 2005, I was in the fifth of my six years of seminary formation, serving as an intern at a rural parish in the northeastern part of the Archdiocese of Detroit. That morning, […]
The Dispatch
A Holy Family is one totally dedicated to God
The celebration of Christmas has a way of amplifying our ordinary family experience. For a loving and harmonious family, Christmas tends to be the time when its familial bonds are tightened. The members of such […]
Essay
Attention, Faith, and Worship: Honoring and Adoring Christ at Christmas
A surprising number of Christmas carols were written under extremely trying circumstances in the world or in the lives of their creators. One such carol is “Do You Hear What I Hear,” the lyrics of […]
The Dispatch
Holiness and the giving of ourselves thoughtfully and recklessly
“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if […]
Essay
“Behold we live”: Msgr. Ronald Knox on the power of the Cross
Ave crux spes unica. Hail to the Cross, our only hope. What are the implications of this hope for Christian discipleship as it is lived in this world? The English priest and apologist, Msgr. Ronald […]
The Dispatch
St. Thomas and the Sacrament of Charity
Before establishing the feast of Corpus Christi in 1264, Pope Urban IV called upon the services of St. Thomas Aquinas for the composition of prayers and hymns for the liturgical celebration of the feast. These […]
Essay
The Resurrection and the Meaning of Life
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have […]
The Dispatch
Advent is a call to holiness and transformation in Christ
“The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.” The French Catholic author Léon Bloy wrote these words in his 1897 novel La Femme […]
Essay
Loving the Word of God in a world flooded with words
“The tongue has the power of life and death.” –Proverbs 18:21 The power of words I don’t think it’s over-dramatic to say that words are like nuclear power. Nuclear power can light an entire city […]